Sunday, 30 June 2013

A few months ago I took part in my first home brew at our friends' place. We were aiming for a Belgian style beer at around 8% abv, using Belgian hops. Today I got to try the results for the first time. Apricots and a yeastiness on the nose. On the palate, fruity, a slight spritz with the hops drying the back of your mouth. Probably more like 5% booze, and not quite as 'Belgian' as we were trying to achieve, but a refreshing drop nevertheless.

Wednesday, 19 June 2013

I like hoppy beers (predictive text suggests 'happy', which is also correct). I've had Kernel's pale ale a good few times, this is my first taste of the Table Beer. Only 3.2% abv, but packed full of hops (citra, amarillo, columbus), it smells and tastes fresh, light, with a bit of a bite. It does feel, slightly, like they're trying not to offend the Table. It lacks the crisp bitterness of Redemption's similarly flyweight Trinity. But £4.50 for half a litre (at Essex Road's most excellent Hops & Glory) is not a terrible investment, particularly when for some ungodly reason there's no IPA on tap.